This will open the file, but only if you select it in the feature tree first. So now I am back to square one of how to select the file in the feature tree. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

I have used files in the design binder to include PDF or IGS files, sometimes pictures or manufacturing documentation. I have never included another SW file in it. Wouldn't it then be an assembly?

Somewhere I have macro that adds common files (for us) to the design binder so the files are current and positively delivered for a build. This was done most often for parts built in a foreign country.

Thank you for your response Bernie. We are looking at trying to open attached files like the first ones you mentioned, expressly word documents, in our SW components. I should have been more clear to avoid confusion, sorry about that.

One thing I noticed though is it will not actually see the original Design Journal file in the binder (I added "Debug.Print swModel.Extension.GetAttachmentCount" in the code to test this and if the journal is alone it returns 0). So as long as the document desired in the code is not the Design Journal file, this code should work for what we need.

Correct, it somehow skips the Design Journal. Maybe it doesn't count as an attachment because you didn't add it. SolidWorks adds it by default and you also can't delete it. It didn't show up when I traversed the tree for subfeatures, so it's a very shady object.

I know this is an old post, but I needed this and found a solution, does not quite work with Office 2016 like it does with Office 2010. You can use the ModelDocExtension::GetOLEObjects. There is one thing you have to do first is open the Design Journal.doc file. It is not embedded when it is empty.